The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-14
It Is Believed, However, that the List of Dead
Will Exceed One Hundred, While the Num-
Der Injured May Never Be Revealed.
Several Additions to Names of the Dead,
but the Total Remains Unchanged.
Progress Of the Inquiry Before the Railway
Commissioners and the Coroner-Inci-
dents Connected with the Slaughter.
THE GREAT DISASTER.

/ OF the seriously
| CHATswoRTH, ILL.,, Aug. 13-Although up to
the present the dead. including body recovered
from the wreck late last night. number not more
| than seventy-seyen, there is reasonable room
for the belief that there have been deaths. per-
haps half dozen, resulting from the tragedy
which cannot be definitely reported, owing 70
/ tie confusion and lack of system when the
bodies were being taken away. Neither can the
| full list of the wounded be presented to the
/ public, for scores whose injuries were light
| enough to permit them, took trains at Chats
worth or Piper City at the first opportunity and
| went home at once The official list of wounded
| who have been cared for here and in Piper City,
does not at present show more than one hundred
; victims. but there is doubt whatever that
many more than that were wounded, notwith-
standing the details not and cannot be put
in writing During the morning the condition
of the six wounded survivors in the town hall
has changed considerably for the worse. Nor
LITIGATION has set in in most of the cases, and
the physicians fear that of the six only two
recover These two are Mrs. Hazen and her
sister, Miss Alter both OF Iowa Adam
Schaumberger. of PEORIA and young Walters.
of Cottage. N. Y, are not expected to live over
week. Fl. P. Bonds state is equally precar-
ions, while for Miss Clark. of Ohio, there is abb
solutely no hope.
Much of the excitement which has prevailed in
this city foe the past three days has died
All the dead. whether identified or not, have
been shipped away The unidentified are being
held at Peoria. in addition to the dead all the
wounded able to be moved, except those in pri-
vate houses have been taken from here to
Peoria. Seven. however, yet remain this morn
ing in the building used city hall and
eupin0-h house. Three of them. il WAS known
would surely die, with possibly fourth One
of these, Mrs. Valdejo. of PEORIA who
eroneously reported dead last night, died this
morning at 9:l0. Few of the wounded have,
as yet. been removed from the hospital
at Piper City. It had been the intention to take
those who were able out of there, yesterday. but
owing to misunderstanding this was not done.
report was received from them this morning.
and improvement is noted in the condition Of
most of them. Two, however, past all hope
It was currently repo cd this morning that sew
eral of the section hands had been arrested. but
the marshal and coroner know nothing of it.
1t was also said another body had been
cred from the wreck, but this, too, denied.
Peoria list of the deaths from the Chats
worth catastrophe contains the following not
mentioned IN the Intcr Ocean revised list sent
last night: Mrs George Meek, of Peoria: Mrs.
Miller. of PEORIA Mrs. E. T.. Putnev, of Peoria;
Henry Oscar johnson, of Monarch H.; AFRO
Gale, of Orange Prairie ILL.,. Mamie Clark, aged
fourteen, and Joe Clark aged three. residence
unknown These, however. are not understood
to be an addition to the total number of victims.
but supposed to be the names of victims
wrongly identified at Chatsworth.
Mrs. Peter Valentine of Peoria, died at Piper
City at noon to-day. She was terribly injured
l., Hor shar Ia tab
maker. She was the mother of five children
The Inquiry by the Railroad Commission.
CHICAGO, Aug. 13.-Ths Chicago Times's
special from Chatsworth, ILL.,. says: The Board
of Railroad Commissioners arrived here at noon
yesterday and be gan investigation of the re-
cent disaster. J. j. Sutherland, one of the en-
gineers the tran was sworn. He said he
was locomotive engineer on the Toledo Peoria
s. Western road, running Engine Fl. in the lead.
The train was behind its schedule time, having
started from Peoria thirty minutes late. Some
time was lost at Weston and Forest. and the
train was about two hours late when it drew out
of Forest He saw. as he approached the bridge.
what seemed to be flames on the south side Of
the track. He then something was wrong
with the bridge, but it was to late to do any
thing. His fireman called to him
to jump. and leaped from the engine.
He got onto the foot-board to prepare
himself for whatever came, but made up his
mind not to jump When he first saw the bridge
it looked like embers 1t seemed to burst into
flames when he ran on the bridge. 1t was not a
raging fire, nor did 1t ommunicate with the cars
on the bridge. He saw, as he expressed it,
''ieath staring him in the face" He shut off
his engine and felt tho bridge sink. Sutherland
then opened the valve to get the train through.
The force of the train pushed the engine over.
breaking it loose from the tender. He stopped
his engine and ran back to the wreck The wit
ness carried water and extinguished everything
in the nature OF incendiary fire. He was
running between thirty and thirty-ive miles
per hour. but could not tell exactly. He said he
saw danger at the bridge, the appearance
being that Of burning embers or Goals.
It was not blazing at the time.
There were more live Goals the uniersi6e Of
the bridge. The witness said he not in his
normal condition as he crossed the bridge. mas
much as he never expected to get out alive.
There question in his mind but the
bridge was on fire. He had power to stop tho
train between the time he saw the fire and his
arrival at the bridge. His engine had no air.
brake Neither whistle sounded for lack Of
time There could be no doubt OF the bridge
being on ire when the engines crossed TIE
flames were famed by the passage Of the train.
John Rogers. fireman of Sutherlands engine.
was sworn. He saw little fire tne side Of
the track near the bridge on the night OF tho
accident He observed sparks rising and GOALS
in the center OF the track and jumped from the
engine. calling to his engineer to follow The
witness and another fireman ran the engine to
Piper City and gave the alarm to the citizens of
the town. He thought the bridge was burned
away when he jumped. The witness
tain things when satisfied him the bridge was
burned. The train was running pretty fass
when the accident occurred.
Axei Arplegreen the firemeu of the second
engine of the train was sworn.
The witness Was leaning on the sill of the cab
window, on the left hand side when the engine
jumped up In the air and turned over on It's
side. He was scalded, and thought he was
gone,' as he expressed it. He saw nothing or
the fire at the time of the accident, but saw IL
Immediately afterwards.
2 u Arnstronr sunerntendent of the road.